Hot on the heels of muchos other updates, Apple has released iTunes 12.1.2.

The new version, a 120 megabyte download, improves syncing to your iOS devices from the newly-released Photos for OS X. The update also adds several improvements to the Get Info window and improves overall application stability.

The new version, a 487 megabyte download, contains a massive helping of fixes and changes. Among them are more than 300 new emoji symbols, a scrolling keyboard, additional languages for Siri and improvements to unknown number filters in iMessage.

Amidst the slew of quiet content updates to the Apple TV, the HBO NOW channel is now one of them. The channel has also released its app for the iPhone and iPad, which can stream all of HBO’s past and present original content while the standalone streaming service costs $14.99 per month, with customers receiving the first month free if they sign up in April.

The HBO NOW app and service now divides its content into assorted categories such as a watch list, series and movies. The app also includes a search engine and settings menu and the Apple TV channel itself should surface today alongside the app.

Since the launch of the app back in 2012, Yelp has served as the sole partner for integrating customer reviews of businesses and other points of interest. Recently, Apple’s Maps app has begun including reviews from TripAdvisor and Booking.com on select hotel listings.

It’s currently unclear as to whether a hotel will include a review from Yelp, TripAdvisor or Booking.com, but these reviews have been showing up either way, especially with Booking.com’s stronger international presence in England, France and Australia.

If you were planning on writing a function for the Apple Watch, now’s the time to begin.

Apple has officially invited all third party developers to submit Watch apps to the App Store. This means any of the 1.2 million apps can now submit updates including Watch apps (using the WatchKit framework), beyond the select partners Apple rolled out last week.

As a reminder, Watch apps come bundled as extensions inside normal iOS apps. This means customers can update the apps in the iPhone ready for the Watch’s release on the 24th. Apple is pointing developers to the submission reference guidelines for more information on this process.(more…)

Apple has been looking to make significant additions to its battery technology team since the beginning of March, with a special emphasis on iOS devices, newly listed positions available at the company reveal.

At least nine listings posted within the last month are directly connected to battery technology. Some examples include openings for a hardware manager, a firmware development manager, a battery pack engineering manager, a cell engineer, and an electrical engineer.(more…)

A lot of attention has gone into the upcoming Apple Watch’s biometric and health-centric sensors, but the device could also be great for weather forecasting.

Last fall, after the announcement of the iPhone 6 and its barometer, meteorologist Cliff Mass wrote a giddy blog post about the promise of smartphone barometers. He said experimental results from his research team show that dense networks of mobile barometers alone can create highly accurate three-dimensional weather maps. That “almost sounds like magic” to Mass.

The implications of highly localized weather forecasts are profound. The Weather Company, which owns the Weather Channel, has used local weather forecasts to drive increased revenue through context-specific advertising for years. Dense networks of barometer-enabled smartphones in India and Africa could boost local economies by aiding agriculture and other weather-dependent sectors.(more…)

The new version, which sports a redesigned user interface, also includes a full calendar window with day, week, month, and year views, an intuitive parsing engine, iCloud reminders support, light theme, time zone support, birthday reminders, Action and Share Extensions as well as Handoff support to connect your Mac with your iOS devices.

iCloud Reminders are even better and users can now see their events and dated reminders together in the main list. Reminders can be quickly created by starting sentences with “reminder”, “todo”, “task”, or “remind me to.” Users can also add dates, times, and location-based geofences (when I arrive/when I leave) to their reminders.

You may not be able to buy the Apple Watch for almost a month, but the apps are coming out for it.

A slew of new apps have been released with full Apple Watch functionality. That being said, here we go:

Target – The Target app lets you add items to your list and find aisle locations for items. The app’s glance lets you swipe up from the watch face to see when your store is open and how many items are on your list.

Hooks has just announced version 2.1 of its Hooks iOS app. The app offers over 60,000 notifications and can update you from everything from concerts to Bitcoin exchange rates, is available in multiple languages and can be custom-configured as needed.

Users can receive instant notifications if their personal brand is mentioned, changes in website rankings, sports scores or if there are difficulties with their website, thereby eliminating lost time and income.